


No Time To Die

by beavverly



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Adrien Agreste Knows, Adrien Agreste Needs Help, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir-centric, Alya Césaire Is The Best, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awesome Master Fu (Miraculous Ladybug), Awesome Nino Lahiffe, Badass Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Dead Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Hurt Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Hurt/Comfort, Illusions, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Master Fu Ships It (Miraculous Ladybug), Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Miraculous Holder Alya Césaire, Miraculous Holder Nino Lahiffe, Parent Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Plagg Cares (Miraculous Ladybug), Plagg is a Little Shit (Miraculous Ladybug), Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Protective Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Protective Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), Supportive Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Supportive Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), is there a tag for dad master fu bc hes really giving me vibes, it might not seem like it but i promise i know where this is going, just save it i promise it has a good plot, seriously, this boy will be the death of me lmao, this is not a one shot!!!, updates are kinda fast but also maybe not, we'll see, yall...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 12:15:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25849408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beavverly/pseuds/beavverly
Summary: It was a morbid expectation, Chat Noir guessed, that Ladybug would inevitably die on the front lines, protecting the heart and soul of Paris and its citizens. Certainly not getting hit by a bus.Or, when a freak accident early one morning kills the one and only Ladybug, not even the cat himself can guess the lengths at which Chat Noir will go to bring her back.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 6
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Plagg," he said, voice void of any emotion. "Claws in."
> 
> He didn't blink as the bright green light illuminated the alley for split second as Chat Noir turned into Adrien Agreste. Plagg was silent behind him as Adrien slowly walked to the end of the alley. He pressed his back to the bricks and slid into a crouch, not once caring if he was getting dirt on his jacket.
> 
> Everything was quiet as he wept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The song is ended, but the melody lives on."  
> -Irving Berlin

Chat Noir would never get tired of the cool, autumn breeze on his face at the crack of dawn. There was something about watching the world in the most vulnerable of states, the purity of a city that had just woken up; it was truly a privilege that only he could have.

Of course, there were always the early birds, but they were interesting, too. He would find people with the same appreciation of the sunrise as him, only he was able to see it from any rooftop in Paris instead of the park. He would also find people like his father, hurriedly running into the closest bakery and running back out with a bagel in hand, trying to get to where they were going as quickly as humanly possible. He was never fond of the people like that, in fact, he found them rather stupid for not taking at least a minute to look at the beauty of where they lived.

He always saw things he never expected to see, like Chloé Bourgeois lounging on her balcony wearing what could only be described as the ugliest satin pajamas in all of Paris. Another thing he never expected to see was Marinette Dupain-Cheng, who was late to school nearly every day, out for an early morning jog at 6:03 a.m. 

He almost laughed to himself when he saw her, stopping to perch on the roof of a pawn shop. He honestly relished his time with Marinette as Chat Noir, because, he didn't know why, but she always acted so...uncomfortable around Adrien. He was a little self-conscious about it, too; he genuinely liked her, he just didn't know why there seemed to be a disconnect between them when he was Adrien. She was super fun to hang out with, and he would consider her one of his best friends, but she just...wouldn't know it was him. There's no harm in that, right?

"Mari!" Chat Noir called, hopping down to street level.

She didn't hear him, instead stretching her legs at a crosswalk while she waited for her opportunity to cross.

Chat Noir smiled as she glared at the mechanical sign, muttering to herself something about how slow and stupid it was. "Marinette!" Chat yelled again, but to no avail. _Her music must be pretty loud,_ he thought. He idly wondered what kind of music she liked to listen on morning runs. Maybe he could ask her.

He stepped lightly towards the crosswalk Marinette was standing at, putting his hands in his pockets as he did. He was just over a meter away from her when he heard the skidding of wheels up ahead, and someone yelling _"Watch out!"_

But Marinette had her headphones in. 

It happened in the span of less than a second, Chat Noir leaping at Marinette with his arms outstretched to push her out of the way, the bus flying at them head on while the driver stomped on the breaks. Marinette never knew what was coming.

Chat Noir crashed headlong into the side of the bus. The wind felt as if it had been punched from his stomach all at once, driving him back against a lamppost that he hadn't really realized was there until he felt it on his spine. He sputtered a cough and quickly tried to regain his composure, pressing a shaking hand to his chest. His mind was still reeling from what had just happened, and there was only one thought constant in his mind, _Where's Marinette? Find Marinette! Where is she?_

He groaned as he pushed himself off of the lamppost, taking a few falling steps toward the front of the bus where it had crashed through the front door of a clothing store. He finally fell to his knees next to the top right wheel, wheezing as he gripped the loose headlight.

_Marinette, Marinette, Marinette,_

"Marinette?" His voice was so much hoarser than he thought it would be, coming out as barely above a whisper. He cleared his throat and tried again, "Marinette!" God, his throat burned.

There was no response to his calls. Grunting, Chat Noir forced himself to pull away the rubble surrounding the front of the bus, cursing as he felt an ache in his ribs. He didn't realize it then, but he never stopped saying Marinette's name, his cries growing more frantic as he kept turning up nothing under the rubble.

That is, until he found a small pool of blood. He stopped saying her name then.

He felt frozen for a second. The Great Chat Noir, frozen at the sight of blood. Marinette's blood.

He started moving, more desperate and faster than he was before, breathing ragged breaths as he recklessly tore piles of rocks away from Marinette's body. He uncovered a leg, a stomach, an arm, and--

_There's so much blood._

He suddenly felt tangy bile rising in his throat, coughing as he tried to keep it down. He kept going, pulling and tearing until he saw her face.

Adrien Agreste had never wanted to die more in that moment.

His breathing stilled. He brought a quivering hand slowly to her cheek, ignoring the fact that blood smeared almost every inch of skin he could see. "M-Marinette?" he asked. His voice was small; scared. He caressed her face, trying desperately to keep from passing out as he leaned down to press his forehead to hers. "Princess?"

No response. 

He swallowed roughly, quickly moving his hand to her neck to check her pulse. She was...she was alive! Chat Noir couldn't help but let out a whimper of relief as he took his hand off of her neck but--

He stopped moving completely when he felt her grab his hand. "M-Marinette!"

He looked down at her face; her blue eyes, half closed, looked duller than usual. Her normally bouncy pigtails were loose and dust covered, and Chat Noir forced himself not to think about the parts that were matted with blood.

Marinette held Chat's wrist with a loose grip, trying to pull his hand to her face.

He let her guide him until his hand reached her...ear? "P-Princess, I d-don't understand," he breathed quietly, trying to lean closer to hear what she was trying to tell him.

Her blue eyes seemed to burn holes into his skull as she whispered ever-so delicately, "I love you, _my Chaton_."

Chat Noir's heart stopped as he made the connection. He was completely stunned at how quickly everything made sense. Of course it made sense! How didn't he see this before? The way she disappeared when he did, the way she gave Nino, Alya, _and_ Luka miraculouses, the way--

Her eyes were closed.

"Marinette?" He spoke louder than he intended to, but that was hardly his concern right now. "M-Marinette! Marinette, answer me! Marinette!" He pressed his fingers against her neck again, only to find that she--

" _No!_ " he shrieked. "No! No, no, no, no, don't leave me, don't-- Marinette!" He couldn't stop himself from crying now, desperately trying to pull Marinette's limp body from under the rocks that had crushed her. He was never more thankful for his super strength as he pried the rocks off of Marinette, swinging his head wildly around to any bystanders that might be there. "112!" he practically screamed. He was talking to nobody in particular, but he hoped that somebody would do as he said. "She-- She's dying, somebody, _somebody_ , please help, or-or call 112, please!"

He heard some people muttering and shuffling behind him, relieved when he heard somebody dial three numbers on their phone. He turned back to Marinette, cradling her neck in his hands. "Marinette...oh, God, what have I done? What h--"

He stopped talking when he heard a small squeak from under the rubble. His eyes widened. _Ladybug has a kwami!_ After a few seconds of hesitance, he set Marinette down as gently as he could and started digging through the rubble again, finding the source of the squeak was Marinette's crushed bag. "H-Hello?" he asked hesitantly. He snapped open her bag, carefully shielding its red glow from the public.

Out emerged a kwami slightly smaller than Plagg, covered in dust. It coughed, quickly flying into Chat Noir's embrace before breaking down in tears. "Wh-- um, are you..are you her kwami?" he asked quietly.

"Earrings...."

"W-what?"

"You have to get her earrings! You can't let anyone else take them!"

Chat Noir was shocked at the notion. "What? No, she still needs them to be Ladybug! I can't just take them, she'll want them when she wakes up!"

Ladybug's kwami slowed its sobs, hesitantly looking up at Chat Noir. It shook its head.

"She..." For the second time that day, Chat Noir felt as if all air had been punched from his lungs. "She's not waking up."

The kwami broke out into more sobs as it hugged Chat Noir's abdomen, while the superhero sat in absolutely stunned silence. 

Ladybug is dead.

_Ladybug_ is _dead_.

Without another word, Chat Noir bent down and pulled the Ladybug Miraculous from Marinette's ears. He carefully placed them in his pocket along with Ladybug's kwami. He stood up on legs that were shaking more than he'd like to admit, stifling any kind of emotion as he turned around and simply walked away.

He heard the sirens behind him, he felt the stares, but he didn't turn around. He slunk into an alleyway, still dark for a couple more minutes before the sun inevitably rose and stole any kind of privacy that he'd wished to have. But this was fine for now. He took the earrings and Ladybug's kwami out of his pocket, carefully placing them against a wall.

"Plagg," he said, voice void of any emotion. "Claws in."

He didn't blink as the bright green light illuminated the alley for split second as Chat Noir turned into Adrien Agreste. Plagg was silent behind him as Adrien slowly walked to the end of the alley. He pressed his back to the bricks and slid into a crouch, not once caring if he was getting dirt on his jacket.

Everything was quiet as he wept.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Notification from: THE LADYBLOG (MOBILE)  
> Category: Akuma Sighting(s)  
> From user Poppyx32: akuma down by the boulangerie patisserie!! LB and CN help please!!!!!!
> 
> Adrien's head was empty. He just kept reading those words, over, and over, and over again. Help please, help please, help please. He didn't know what else he could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Little by little, we let go of loss, but never of love."  
> -Unknown

Adrien was numb as he walked home. It was now 6:42 a.m., the sun risen all the way, illuminating every part of Paris. He wasn't sure he liked the early mornings so much anymore.

He had the Ladybug Miraculous in his shirt pocket, along with Tikki (Plagg had to tell Adrien her name since she was widely unresponsive, but how could he blame her?). He chose to stay in his civilian form because, although it was kind of inconvenient to have to walk the several blocks back to his father's mansion, several people saw Chat Noir at the crime scene, wailing and crying over a teenage girl he wasn't supposed to know. He wasn't ready to be blamed, or filmed, or questioned; hell, he didn't think he would ever be ready.

The scene replayed in his head every second of every minute, an agonizing loop that he just couldn't force himself to push away; it was the only thing on his mind. He could see it so intimately, the bus skidding against the pavement, the way he jumped just a second too late. He could see the way her blood coated seemingly every inch of her skin, soaking through her clothes and her hair. He could feel her gentle touch as she held his hand, hear her rasping voice as she fought to say her last words, as she fought to stay _alive_. He couldn't bear to think about it, but how could he think about anything else?

_Buzz! Buzz!_

His heart caught in his throat. He knew that ringtone. That was the Ladyblog.

His stomach churned at the thought, and he silently hoped it wasn't an akuma sighting. He knew better than to indulge in wishful thinking, though. He pulled his phone from the back pocket of his jeans, watching it light up in front of his face. The words on his screen didn't fully register in his head for the first couple seconds, like it was in one ear and out the other.

_Notification from: THE LADYBLOG (MOBILE)_

**_Category: Akuma Sighting(s)_ **

_From user **Poppyx32** : akuma down by the boulangerie patisserie!! LB and CN help please!!!!!!_

Adrien's head was empty. He just kept reading those words, over, and over, and over again. _Help please, help please, help please._ He didn't know what else he could do.

"...Kid?"

Adrien didn't respond to Plagg, who was staring at him with uncharacteristically concerned eyes.

He grit his teeth and took a deep breath in, gathering his thoughts and emotions. He could do this. He _needed_ to do this. For her. "Claws out."

\------

If you asked him to tell you how he got to the Boulangerie Patisserie, Chat Noir wouldn't be able to tell you. He could remember flashes of roofs, the vague feeling of that same crisp air on his face that he used to relish, but he could hear nothing. He was on autopilot, making his way to where the akuma had been last spotted.

In the distance he saw the balcony. Her balcony, unchanged.

He shuddered, swallowing roughly as he scanned the skyline for any sign of an akuma.

_Crash!_

He jumped slightly as he turned to look behind him, dodging a car flying at his face just in time. He landed back where he had been standing, heart pounding, head reeling. He looked around wildly to find the akuma. 

"I...am... _Reverser!_ " 

More crashing and creaking sounded behind Chat Noir. He jumped to a roof to his left just as the car that had previously been thrown at him flew over the roof again, this time backwards.

Chat Noir's eyes finally landed on a small woman floating in the air with teal smoke hanging around her hands. She wore a black robe with teal linings that hung down further than her feet, beneath it a skin-tight black bodysuit. Before he could react, Reverser set her gaze upon the cars speeding down the street away from the action. She held out her hand and turned it. The cars suddenly were driving backwards, flying down the road faster than they were going before. "We'll see how you bad drivers like being in a wreck!"

Chat Noir quickly scanned her body, looking for the akumatized object. _Don't overthink it, don't overthink it, don't--_ She was holding a bouquet of purple flowers. Bingo.

"Reverser!" Chat Noir called. "I'm over here!"

Reverser turned her head in his direction, her glowing eyes suddenly seeming to pierce his soul. The outline of a purple butterfly appeared around her red-rimmed eyes as she smiled. "Yes, Hawkmoth," she said.

The next thing Chat Noir knew, she was flying at him with her arm outstretched. He quickly flipped out of her way, jumping over and onto anything around him in an attempt to confuse her. "You know, I was thinking about taking up time travel," Chat Noir said loudly with a smirk. "But I don't think there's any future in it!"

"Silly kitty."

He whipped his head around. "Ladybug?"

_Wham!_

He went flying into a wall, rocks crumbling around him. He let out a wheeze, trying to regain his breath.

"I said, _silly kitty_."

Chat Noir looked up to see Reverser slowly approaching him, teal smoke close to nearly engulfing her altogether. He grit his teeth. "You're going to regret calling me that." Without warning, he kicked himself up from the floor, launching himself at the akuma. " _Cataclysm!_ " He was met with the familiar feeling of power flowing through his body as he dove for the bouquet.

Reverser grunted, trying to move out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough.

Chat Noir secured his hand around the plastic wrapping on the purple roses, watching for a butterfly as it crumbled to ashes in his hand; no butterfly came. His eyes widened as he quickly sifted through the remnants of the bouquet, his anxiety spiking when he realized he was wrong. "No--"

_Slam!_

He took another hit to the ribs that sent him flying, only this time he didn't hit a wall. He went sailing into the streets of Paris, cars honking as he dented the pavement. He coughed, eyes still wide as he held his stomach. In less than a second, he began wracking his brain for where the akuma could be. The bouquet made sense, why wasn't it the bouquet?

"Where's your partner, tomcat?" Reverser hissed as she descended from the roof they had been fighting on.

Chat Noir grunted as he tried to sit up, but was quickly met with a sharp, searing pain in his side. "Argh--"

"Where's her Lucky Charm? You know you're useless without her!"

Chat Noir set his jaw, trying his best to ignore the white pain in his side. "Well, I'm about to beat you, aren't I?"

Reverser's feet touched the ground, her robe brushing the pavement behind her. "I don't think so, kitty."

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes. "Stop calling me that."

Reverser smiled. "Or what, kitty?"

Breathing in, Chat Noir lunged, groaning through clenched teeth as he clawed blindly. His hand was met with the soft fluffy material making up Reverser's robe, his sharp claws sinking through the fabric. He split it down the side and managed to tear it off of Reverser's shoulders, ducking out of the way of her attempted punch. He landed in a crouched position with small pieces of fluff hanging around his fingers, wincing as he doubled over on his side.

"No! You won't beat me!"

Ignoring his pain, Chat Noir looked up for any sign of a black butterfly and-- there! "Oh, no you don't," he chuckled hoarsely as the butterfly tried to flap it's way to another victim. He coughed as he stood up, reaching out to snatch the insect from the sky. He held it tightly in his hand, feeling the light thumping against the inside of his hand as it tried to get away. There was no way to purify the akuma, so he figured the only way to get rid of it was to kill it. Biting the inside of his cheek, he pressed it to the floor, removing his hand for a split second before crushing it with his boot. He twisted his shoe. "Bye, bye, little butterfly," he muttered darkly.

"W-where am I?"

Chat Noir looked to his left to the akuma victim.

Sabine Cheng was left looking at him with wide, unblinking eyes. She had been crying, a teal robe wrapped around her shaking frame. Her bouquet was still a pile of ashes, unchanged without Ladybug's healing spell. Nonetheless, he could see a discarded card to her side, covered in dust. 

_Sorry for your loss,_ it read.

He left without another word.

\------

Adrien's transformation wore off five minutes later just as he reached the foot of his bed. He shut his window, turning around and walking to his desk with two computers. Another scene had been added to his highlight reel of traumatic events that were on loop in his head; he didn't know why, but he couldn't stop seeing the black butterfly ground into pieces under his shoe, reduced to a pile of nothing just like the rest of the dust around it. He felt...guilty. Why? Why did he feel guilty?

Before he could give the matter more thought, he found himself pulling up the Ladyblog and clicking the 'Newest' category.

**_Ladybug Nowhere to be Seen as "Reverser" Terrorizes Paris._ **

Next.

_**Paris Left in Pieces Without Ladybug After Terrifying Akuma Ravages Local Buildings.** _

Next.

_**Chat Noir Forced to Handle Akuma Alone, Ladybug Nowhere in Sight.** _

Next.

_**Where is Ladybug? Local Parisians Left Terrified as Chat Noir Faces "Reverser" on His Own.** _

Ne--

"--Kid, you gotta relax."

Adrien swiveled around in his chair to face his kwami. "Relax? Really?"

Plagg sighed, glancing back at where Tikki laid asleep on Adrien's bed. "Look, beating yourself up isn't gonna help."

Adrien shifted, grimacing as he felt the sharp pain in his side again. "I'm-- I'm not," he grunted, prodding his ribs in a poor attempt to ease the pain.

Plagg's eyes widened. "Are you hurt?"

"No!" Adrien said quickly. He tried to stand, "Agh--!" He crumbled to his knees, gripping his side. So much for lying his way out of this one.

"You _are_ hurt!" Plagg accused, flying down in front of Adrien's face. "I should've known you'd get yourself hurt, I shouldn't have let you go out, geez, I--"

"--Plagg, stop!" Adrien wheezed, trying to recover himself. "It's just-- It's probably just a bruised rib or something, I can handle it."

Plagg scoffed. "Don't be stupid, Adrien, you can't even walk!"

"Well, I'm gonna have to if I want to beat more akumas!"

"And what, leave the city in ruins again?"

"That's the only option I seem to have, isn't it?"

"No, it's not, stupid!"

Adrien hesitated. "...I-it's not?"

Plagg froze. "Uh..." He blinked, mind buffering slightly. "I m-mean, uh, yeah, it is."

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows, stumbling backwards as he tried his best to stand. He gripped the corner of his desk as a support and rose to his feet. "No, it's not!" he said. "Plagg, why are you lying to me?"

Plagg glanced at Tikki, silently hoping she might back him up, but she was still asleep. "...Kid, it's-- it's pretty complicated--"

"--Plagg!" Adrien cried, his frustration beginning to get the better of him. "You said it yourself, I-- I left Paris in ruins!"

For once, Plagg was silent, guiltily studying the floor. 

Adrien continued, "People are hurt, Plagg, hell, _I'm_ hurt! I-I obviously can't protect Paris without Ladybug, that much is _very_ clear!"

No response.

"...Plagg, look at me."

"Nuh-uh."

"Plagg, come on."

"Adrien, you don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"I don't care."

"It's dangerous."

"I don't care, Plagg."

"Super dangerous, kid."

" _I. don't. care_."

Adrien clearly wasn't going to give up anytime soon.

After a couple of seconds of hesitation, Plagg met Adrien's desperate gaze with a sigh. He said nothing.

"How do I do it?" Adrien asked quietly. "How do I bring her back?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, before things could really escalate, Plagg suggested that the two of them sleep it off for a little bit before school would inevitably begin, which seemed like a good idea at first. Emphasis on the 'at first', because--
> 
> "...Plagg," came a voice, soft, but quivering slightly. "Plagg, wake up."
> 
> \--he was nudged awake roughly forty-five minutes later, definitely not in the same place that he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "True guidance is like a small torch in a dark forest. It does not show everything at once, but it gives enough light for the next step to be safe."  
> -Unknown

_"Это последний из них. Вы уверены, что ворота в безопасности? (That's the last of them. Are you sure the gate is secure?)"_

_"Сэр, да сэр. В мои часы никто не убежит. (Sir, yes, sir. No one will be escaping on my watch.)"_

_Lieutenant Kerschlovitsky studied the woman carefully, looking her stocky figure up and down. He eyed her with disdain. "Хорошо, (Good,)" he said. "Продолжать. (Carry on.)"_

_The woman only nodded in return, straightening her posture as she squinted her eyes against the violent blizzard whipping her face. The Captain walked away, soon disappearing beyond her line of vision, and she relaxed a little bit. Her arms still felt the biting chill of The Soviet Union's chilly climate, even under her furry coat. Her slicked back ponytail gave her a headache; there was no better feeling than getting back to her quarters and pulling her long, brown waves out of the mandatory tie._

_Bang._

_She winced as she heard the rapid-fire far off, pursing her lips. She tried not to think about them; the people. Her people. She tried not to think about the fact that she was guarding the very door that prevented them from escaping. She suddenly became infinitely more aware of the large machine gun in her hand. Was that always there?_

_The sweat began beading on her forehead, nearly frozen solid at the temperature. It was happening again._

Don't think about it, you're here to fulfill your duty to your country, _she told herself. She owed her superiors, after all. She would've been executed far earlier if they hadn't saved her. Why did they save her? She tried not to think about that either._

_Bang._

_Her grip tightened on the gun._

_Bang._

_Don't think about it._

_Bang._

Don't think about it.

_Bang._

Don't--

_"Абделла! (Abdella!)"_

_"Д-да! Да сэр? (Yes! Yes sir?)" General Abdella jumped in surprise, her finger absentmindedly finding its way over to the trigger on her gun. She removed it._

_Colonel Horowitz narrowed his eyes. "Сегодня нервничаем, генерал? (Jumpy today, are we, General?)" he said steadily, hands neatly clasped behind his back._

_"Да сэр. Простите, сэр, (Yes, sir. Sorry, sir,)" Abdella said quickly, refusing to meet her superior's eyes. "Просто немного параноика по поводу шторма, вот и все, (Just a little paranoid about the storm, is all,)" she lied._

_A few seconds passed before Colonel Horowitz' rigid stature seemed to soften slightly. "Абделла, (Abdella,)" he said with a faint smile. "Расслабьтесь с формальностями. Вы заслуживаете быть здесь так же, как и любой другой. (Relax with the formalities. You deserve to be here just as much as any.)"_

_The General furrowed her eyebrows a little, now returning Colonel Horowitz' gaze. She said nothing, instead opting for a hesitant nod of solidarity._

_Colonel Horowitz chuckled, patting her on the shoulder as she tensed up. "Пойдем, девочка, я хочу тебе кое-что показать. (Come, girl, there is something I wish to show you.)" He began to walk away, once again placing his hands behind his back._

_Abdella didn't move, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. She didn't want to abandon her post._

_Colonel Horowitz cast a warm smile over his shoulder. "Приди, тебе понравится сюрприз. (Come, you'll like the surprise.)"_

_General Abdella weighed the situation for a moment. "Полковник, а как насчет ворот? (Colonel, um, what about the gate?)" she asked._

_"Ах, не подчиняйся прямым приказам, девочка, (Ah, do not disobey direct orders, girl,)" Colonel Horowitz warned lightheartedly as he kept walking. "Пойдем сейчас. (Come along now.)"_

_With a sigh, Abdella caved, jogging slightly to catch up with the Colonel. She knew better than to question the location of their 'adventure', as this was a frequent activity of his. Though, she had to admit, he never failed to make her smile on their weird missions._

_She hoped he lived up to the expectation this time._

\------

They argued. _God,_ they argued for what seemed like hours and hours on end. The two just didn't understand each other. Adrien didn't seem to realize that the mission to bring a woman back to life would probably cost him his, and Plagg didn't seem to realize that that was very much a price his Chat Noir was willing to pay. The disconnect between the master and his kwami seemed larger than it ever had been.

Admittedly, Adrien's understanding of the situation was...questionable; his thought process was very much what you might expect from an indecisive man in very clear denial, _Marinette is dead, but she isn't_ really _dead. She's not dead, I mean, she_ is _, kinda, but...she's also not, because...I can bring her back. Yeah, I could always just bring her back. She isn't dead. Not_ really _._

Plagg was trying desperately to get across the point he wanted to make, resulting in a very wide range of emotional approaches he took to the situation (none of which worked, to his dismay). There was just no way to get through to the stubborn, unwavering mind that was Adrien. Plagg was getting tired of the argument, and when Plagg gets tired, he gets cranky, and when Plagg gets cranky, he gets mean.

So, before things could _really_ escalate, Plagg suggested that the two of them sleep it off for a little bit before school would inevitably begin, which seemed like a good idea at first. Emphasis on the 'at first', because--

"...Plagg," came a voice, soft, but quivering slightly. "Plagg, wake up."

\--he was nudged awake roughly forty-five minutes later, definitely not in the same place that he fell asleep.

Plagg kept his eyes shut purely out of spite, as he often did when Adrien tried to wake him. "Mmmnhh," he grumbled. "Gimme camenbert and I'll think about it."

"You can have all the camenbert you want when you come out of Adrien's bag."

Plagg had never woken up quicker, immediately flying out of the bag he was being kept in to identify the person that _definitely wasn't Adrien_ (and also maybe to see if the camenbert offer was legit, but he would never say that).

He whipped his head around wildly to find...oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, of _course_ he would come here, _ugh!_ He should've known, he should've seen it coming! Plagg turned to face Adrien, his blood boiling. "Why are we in Master Fu's house, you little lying-- you, you little-- why did you bring me here!?"

Adrien was visibly scared. "I...uh, I didn't want to..uh, wake you," he offered lamely, bringing an arm up to scratch behind his neck. He refused to meet Plagg's eyes.

"You didn't want to _wake me!?_ " Plagg was practically seething with anger, feeling like he was about to combust.

"Now, Plagg, let's all calm down."

Plagg grit his teeth, slowly turning to Fu. "And why in the _world_ are _you_ condoning this?" he cried, flying up to the guardian's face. "Ladybug's dead, you wanna get Chat Noir killed trying to bring her back?"

Adrien huffed. "I wouldn't-- I wouldn't die!"

"This doesn't concern you, kid," said Plagg without as much as a glance over his shoulder. "Say you actually send this _teenage boy_ on an impossible journey that will most likely _kill him._ You have taken away both Ladybug _and_ Chat Noir from Paris, leaving it _completely vulnerable_ to Hawkmoth!"

Fu remained calm, despite the small god screaming his lungs out at him, which Adrien considered to be quite the feat. "They are not the only heroes in Paris," he said firmly. "Have you forgotten Rena Rouge, Carapace, Queen Bee, and myself?"

Plagg scoffed. "He needs Trixx and Wayzz both to get to where he wants to go, so that leaves _Chloé Bourgeois_ to defend Paris _by herself_ _!_ " he said. "Now, I don't know about you, but I don't like those odds!"

"I never said they had to have the same Miraculous," Fu said, a faint smile ghosting across his lips. Without another word, he turned around and walked to the Miracle Box. 

Plagg grumbled in irritation as Fu simply walked away from their argument, though he had no real desire to continue it further. It was a lost cause at this point.

Adrien watched on in awe as Fu pressed his fingers into the side of the box, immediately opening it into a multi-tiered array of a great many Miraculouses he had never even thought of. "Is that..." He trailed off, taking a hesitant step forward. "That's every Miraculous?"

Fu grinned. "Dear boy, you know only a fraction of the Miraculous," he said, gazing at the box. "There are guardians in many places on this earth, guarding their own set of Miraculouses against any evil that may wish to take them."

Adrien's breath caught in his throat. "There are-- there are more?"

Fu nodded. "Many, many more," he said. 

Adrien's eyes only widened, still studying the box before him. "Which Miraculous is the most powerful?"

Fu pursed his lips into a tight line. "The Ladybug Miraculous and the Black Cat Miraculous are certainly among the most powerful," he said carefully, almost as if he was testing how much he could say without giving too much away. "But there are some, greater still, that reside in the farthest corners of the earth."

"Where?" Adrien asked before he could stop himself. He blushed uncomfortably, "Um, I-- I hope I'm not probing."

Fu smiled. "No, you have a right to know," he said. "Unfortunately, though, I do not have the answer to your question. The location of every guardian is a secret only the kwamis possess."

They both turned to Plagg at the same time.

The kwami narrowed his eyes, suddenly self-conscious. "I-- I'm not gonna tell you," he said quickly. "And besides, you literally can't get there without me, so you better give me lots of camenbert if you want to convince me to go."

Adrien looked to Fu. "What about...Trixx and Wayzz?" he asked awkardly. "Were those their names?"

Fu chuckled. "Yes, you are correct," he said. "Wayzz is the kwami of the Turtle Miraculous," he gestured to the bracelet on his wrist, "and Trixx is the kwami of the Fox Miraculous."

Adrien nodded. "Can I-- Can I meet them?"

"You will have to put on the Fox Miraculous in order to speak with Trixx, but I trust that you will not use your combined power for anything more than the mission at hand," Fu said, reaching into the Miracle Box for the necklace. He grabbed it, turning to hand it to Adrien.

The model took it, his breath bated as he carefully clasped it behind his neck. Immediately, a small orange kwami not much different from Tikki emerged from the Miraculous.

"Alya!" she said enthusiastically, smiling brightly. He eyes locked on Adrien after a second, and the bright smile she was brandishing moments earlier faded. "I-- Who are you?" 

Adrien was taken aback. "I'm Cha-- You know Alya?" he asked, casting a confused look at Fu.

The kwami nodded, looking just as perplexed. "Yes, she is the current holder of this Miraculous, where is she?" she asked.

Adrien's eyes widened. "Alya-- Alya is Rena Rouge?" His mouth hung open as he stared at a slightly amused Fu. 

"Trixx," Plagg said, flying over from where he had been pouting in the corner. "This is my Chat Noir, he's a royal pain."

The kwami, Trixx, suddenly smiled. "Ah," she said, a sense of familiarity washing over her. "You're Adrien!"

Adrien's eyes widened still. "You know me?"

"We all know you, Adrien."

" _Ahh!_ " Adrien yelped, suddenly aware of the green kwami by his elbow. "What-- Who--" He cut himself off as he seemed to stop breathing. His face was impossibly flushed. "I need to-- I need to-- I'm gonna go sit down," he said breathlessly. He vaguely heard Plagg laughing at him, but his mind was reeling and he couldn't quite bring himself to care. He shakily made his way over to a pair of red chairs in the corner of the room, sitting in the one by the window. _Marinette is Ladybug. Alya is Rena Rouge. Chloé is Queen Bee._ "Who is Carapace?" he found himself asking.

Wayzz smiled. "A young gentleman by the name of Nino Lahiffe."

Adrien could've passed out on the spot. He'd been searching for Ladybug this entire time, and not only was _she_ right under his nose, but _every other superhero he knew._ He scoffed in disbelief. "What are you gonna tell me next? My dad is Hawkmoth?" 

Fu coughed. "Adrien! We must discuss your journey," he said quickly.

Adrien sat up a little straighter, forgetting his comment. "Yeah, where exactly am I going?"

Fu approached him, kwamis following, taking the seat beside his. "Adrien, the hardest part of this journey is putting your full trust in the kwamis you see in front of you," he said.

Adrien looked confused, his brows furrowed. "Uh, what does that mean? Also you didn't tell me where I'm going."

Fu sighed. "I'm afraid no one knows the final destination of the route you will take," he said. "Each of these kwamis has a small part of the instructions you will need in order to get there. You need every one of them to guide you to the place you are looking for."

Adrien didn't really have a response. "O-oh," he breathed. He shook his head, attempting to collect his thoughts. "Um, how far is it? From here, I mean."

"My boy, I do not know. Nobody knows."

"So...I'm going in completely blind?"

"That is correct."

Adrien thought about it for a second. "...okay," he said slowly. "W-who has the first set of instructions?"

"That would be me, sir," Wayzz said with a smile.

Adrien smiled back, oddly comforted by the kwami. "You don't have to call me 'sir', you know," he said.

Wayzz shrugged. "It's an old habit."

"Adrien," Fu said, drawing the boy's attention back to him. "I am going to give you two additional Miraculouses to deliver to Rena Rouge and Carapace since they are already experienced wielders, yes?"

Adrien raised his eyebrows. "Which Miraculouses? I have to take Trixx and Wayzz with me, don't I?"

Fu nodded. "Yes, but wielders are not bound to just one Miraculous," he said. "I will allow you to choose which Miraculouses to give to them." He stood up, beckoning Adrien to join him by the Miracle Box. "Choose wisely, Chat Noir."

"I don't think I'll be as good at this as Ladybug...." Adrien hesitantly approached the box, his eyes nervously searching the box. "You'll-- you'll tell me if I'm wrong, though, right?"

Fu chuckled, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "My boy, there are no wrong choices."

Adrien nodded, though still unsure, looking back at the box. _Which Miraculous is the most...Nino-like? He had the Turtle Miraculous, and that's for protection, so...something that protects...._ "I tried to protect Ladybug with the Snake Miraculous," he thought out loud. "But she already gave that one to Luka."

"Miraculouses can have more than one wielder."

"Uhh," Adrien mumbled, still doubting his choices. "Okay, I'll...I'll choose the Snake Miraculous for Nino." He reached down and grabbed the bracelet, carefully turning it over in his hands. _This is so weird._ He looked up at Fu to wage any kind of reaction, but his expression remained the same. Dismissing Fu's indifference, he placed the Miraculous on the table beside him. _Okay...now for Alya...the Fox is for illusions, so which other one has...illusions? Uhhh, Marinette used the Mouse that one time! All of those clones were illusions!_ Without saying anything, he reached into the box and grabbed the Mouse Miraculous, the loose necklace dangling off of his fingers. He smiled to himself, once again looking up at Fu, seeing that the guardian was now smiling along with him.

"Just the choices I would've made," Fu beamed. "I'm very proud of you, Adrien."

Adrien's heart ached. "Thank you, Master," he said quietly. "But, uhh-- are they going to be the only ones out there? I-- I don't want them to get hurt."

"They are your friends, yes?"

"Yes."

"I will protect them, rest assured."

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows. "But...how? I'm taking the Turtle Miraculous with me."

"Remember what I said, boy," Fu said, smirking. "Not all wielders are bound to a single Miraculous, in fact, I've inhabited my fair share."

"Which one will you use, Master?"

Fu cast a glance over his shoulder into the box, thinking for a moment. "The Turtle is always my personal favorite--"

\--Wayzz bumped Plagg in the shoulder with a smile on his face--

"--but I believe my choice will be the Bee Miraculous."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, I was quite the hero back in my day," Fu laughed.

Adrien found himself laughing along. Before he had arrived, he was intimidated by the idea of the 'big, bad guardian', the man tasked with single-handedly watching over all of the Miraculouses (those in Paris, anyway). But, upon meeting the man, he was quite pleasant to be around. Adrien sighed contentedly, seemingly running out of things to say, leaving them in a somewhat awkward silence.

Fu grew serious once more, his expression adopting the same serious stare he had most of the time. "Adrien, I'm afraid time is running short," he said.

Adrien's smile fell, his heart sinking into his stomach. "O-Oh, um... do I need to leave?"

Fu did not respond, instead studying his bracelet a second before sliding it off of his wrist. In an outstretched hand, he gave it to the young Chat Noir. "I sincerely wish you the best of luck," he said. "Bring back our Ladybug."

Adrien felt tears welling up in his eyes as he returned Fu's gaze with earnest. "I-I will," he promised, grasping the bracelet.

Fu smiled sadly, gently grabbing the boy's shoulders to lead him down the hallway and to the door. "Good," he said when they finally reached it. The kwamis disappeared into Adrien's backpack as Fu opened the door. "Now be on your way."

"Thank you, Master Fu. Really."

"It's not a problem," Master Fu said quietly. "Stay safe."

Adrien didn't look back as the door shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. I'm sorry that it took me so long to write a new chapter, but school has just started for me, and everything is pretty overwhelming. I want to thank everybody who left kudos and commented, it really means more to me than you probably think it does. In fact, the first comment that somebody left for me on Chapter 2 is what gave me the motivation to write this chapter. So, yeah. Updates will be slow, but I will update nonetheless. I've got really cool ambitions for this fic and I plan on following through. Thank you so much for reading so far. :)  
> \--Mari


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir turned his gaze back upon the building he had been looking at before, nervously studying a window into Alya's bedroom. He knew Nino was there as well, because his car was parked in the parking lot. Good God was this going to be a difficult conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Every end is a new beginning." -Unknown
> 
> FOR REFERENCE: Adrien IS wearing the Ladybug Miraculous, you just can't see the earrings behind his hair. 
> 
> Also, I didn't proofread this. Also also, sorry for not updating for, like, a month. That's my bad lol.

_Alya C. -- 18 missed calls._

_Alya C. -- 7 texts._

_Nino L. -- 4 texts._

_Nino L. -- 2 missed calls._

_Chloe B. -- 23 missed calls._

_Nathalie S. -- 2 texts._

Adrien sucked in a breath. He knew what this was about.

His hands shook as he opened up his phone slowly, looking at his texts from Alya.

**_Alya C._ **

_adrien call me right now_

_please its really important_

_adrien i dont know why you arnt at school but call me please_

_adrien_

_adrein call me now_

_pleas epleaes please adirein_

_its terrible adrein please pick up the phone_

He scrolled.

**_Nino L._ **

_Did you hear about Mari???_

_Idk if your pops or Nathalie told you_

_Alyas really upset man_

_Please come to school when you can_

He didn't even get to Nathalie's texts before he started to feel dizzy. Every breath he took was empty as black spots began to crowd his vision. He was walking on concrete clouds, and his feet seemed to sink into the floor as he stumbled backwards. There was a wall behind him, was there always a wall behind him?

"Woah, woah, Adrien, are you okay?"

Adrien barely registered Plagg talking to him. He looked up with wildly unfocused eyes, trying to find his kwami, but he could not see anything against the fog that threatened to consume him. He tried to speak, but nothing really came out except for a weak groan.

"Adrien, Adrien, calm down, it'll be okay, it's okay!"

He clawed at the bricks behind him, desperate for anything physical to bring him back down to earth.

_She's dead, she's dead, she's dead--_

"Adrien, you need to look at me, okay? Adrien, look at me!"

Adrien blinked. He had no idea who was talking to him anymore, but he felt obligated to obey. He squeezed his eyes shut, desperately trying to stop his head from spinning. He sucked in a breath as he opened his eyes once more, blinking a fuzzy crowd of confusing colors into vague focus. He couldn't regulate his breathing for the life of him; _god,_ he felt like he was a feather, like he was air itself. "Mmhh...Mar...." 

"Yes! Yes, come on, keep talking to me," he heard a disembodied voice say. Or was it that black smudge? Perhaps the orange one? Adrien really couldn't tell anymore.

"K-ka--" Adrien could read the word 'okay' in his head, but he couldn't hear the way it sounded. "Oh..o...."

"Come on, kid, come on, keep talking," the disembodied voice said.

The colors shifted. The world was turning, the multicolored chorus of voices he saw were being replaced by red. No, by pink. Blue?

"Tell me three things you can touch, Adrien, three things."

Who was that?

Adrien blinked, his fingers subconsciously scraping against the bricks behind him. "W-wa..wall," He rasped, coughing soon after. He couldn't see. 

"Very good, another."

Adrien flexed his fingers again. He needed to find more things to say, he needed to keep talking. His hands found his own stomach, clumsily grasping at a hand-full of his t-shirt. "T-t-shirt," he said, clearing his throat.

"You're doing so well, kitty, just one more."

_...kitty?_

"T-t--" He began to speak even before he had anything to say. God, he needed to see, he needed to _see her--_ He reached out. His hand was met with another, but the texture was something he couldn't make out. It kept switching; it was a soft, tender palm, changing rapidly to a sort-of rubbery texture, latex, Adrien guessed. It felt so familiar.

The thought came to him all at once, like a deep thunder from the back of his mind. It's _Ladybug. It's Marinette._

"La--" His voice caught in his throat as he lurched forward, awkwardly stumbling into her arms. He coughed and sputtered, "Lady-Ladybug, how--"

The arms wrapped around him, a hand settling in his hair. "Shh, Chaton, I'm alright. Try to calm your breathing."

Adrien tried his best to relax his tensed muscles, nestling his nose into the crook of Ladybug's neck. He closed his eyes and breathed through his nose, idly noting how sweet her shampoo smelled. "Marinette..." he sighed. 

Ladybug chuckled against his head. "I'm alright, kitty," she whispered. "You can still save me."

Adrien furrowed his brows. "Save you-- y-you're right h--" He pulled back, his eyes widening as he found that nothing was in front of him; he was alone, standing in a dimly lit alleyway. He swung his head around wildly. "Ladybug?" He called desperately. "Marinette!"

"Hey, shh, kid, I'm right here, you're okay."

Adrien whipped his head around to find Plagg floating by his left shoulder, a concerned Wayzz and Tikki by his side. Adrien was momentarily startled, stunned by the sudden shift. "Ho-- you-- where's Ladybug- where did she go? How was she here?"

Plagg silently nodded to his holder's shirt pocket, where a fast-asleep Trixx laid.

Adrien's eyes widened. "T-Trixx?" He asked quietly. "So that was...it was an illusion?"

Plagg probably looked as guilty as he felt, staring at Tikki as if to pass the question off to her. 

Tikki rolled her eyes at Plagg, turning to look sympathetically at Adrien. "We had to calm you down somehow-- it was Plagg's idea."

Adrien seemed to still almost completely, feeling so utterly confused he didn't know what to think. His gaze focused itself on the ground as he tried to calm himself still. "She said-- She said I could still save her," he whispered, his words barely audible to anybody but himself.

"Yeah, kid, you can," Plagg said, settling himself by Adrien's shirt collar. "And the first step in that plan is to deliver those Miraculouses to Nino and Alya, okay? You can do that can't you?"

Adrien found himself nodding. "Yeah." Then he felt a smile growing on his lips. "Wait-- you know their names?"

It was no less than half a second later that Plagg zipped away from his holder and to Tikki's side. "No!" He said quickly. "I dunno! They're just-- they're people, I couldn't care less about them!" Seemingly satisfied with his answer, the kwami stuck his nose up at Adrien while Tikki snickered quietly beside him.

Adrien only smiled more. "Whatever you say Plagg." He absentmindedly fiddled the necklace that rested on his chest. She had felt so real. He didn't think about it for too long, though, "Come on, we've got some Miraculouses to deliver."

\------

Adrien never got around to answering those texts, which was probably an dick move on his part, but what was he supposed to say? Anyway, he was trying not to think about it too much. The sky was now a pale pink as the sun set, and Chat Noir's heart was thumping harder than he thought was humanly possible.

He sucked in a deep breath. "This is gonna be awkward," he muttered to himself.

The hero perched upon the lip of a concrete ceiling, biting the inside of his cheek nervously. A light breeze ruffled his hair, sending a chill down his spine. He gripped two small boxes, one in each hand, the contents of which were very important. The thought that something "very important" (let alone SIX!!) was in his care made him nervous enough.

"Adrien, I'm sure everything will be fine."

Chat Noir turned to the small green kwami by his side. He unconsciously fidgeted with the bracelet on his wrist.

Trixx said nothing, curled up in between the cat ears resting on his head. She was just like Plagg in a lot of ways. She was quickly becoming one of his favorite kwamis, though he would never admit that.

"Thanks, Wayzz." Chat Noir turned his gaze back upon the building he had been looking at before, nervously studying a window into Alya's bedroom. He knew Nino was there as well, because his car was parked in the parking lot. Good God was this going to be a difficult conversation.

For the life of him, he couldn't come up with a way to give away the Miraculouses without spilling every single bean he had ever dreamed of keeping hidden, so he found a little bit of relief in the fact that he didn't have to lie.

"You should probably put all these Miraculouses away," Plagg said, gesturing to the bracelet and the necklace. 

"Oh, yeah." Chat carefully unclipped his bracelet, stuffing it into his pocket. He was extra gentle scooping Trixx off his head and placing her safely inside the overhanging collar of his costume. He took off the necklace and put it with the bracelet. "Okay, it's go-time."

Practically shaking, Paris' savior Chat Noir began his approach. He vaulted himself over the only street that lied between his perch and his destination, a far too short distance in his opinion, landing on Alya's balcony that hung over the sidewalk. He awkwardly approached the sliding glass doors, peering inside a little before knocking.

Alya startled him at first; she and Nino had been practically buried under a pile of pillows on her bed, making them impossible to see from Chat's standpoint. So when she jumped out of er little fort like Satan himself was screeching outside of her window, Chat nearly dropped both of the Miraculouses he was holding.

"Chat-- Chat Noir!?" Alya's voice was muffled through the glass, but her shock was abundantly clear. She quickly threw her pillows off of her and Nino, practically sprinting to the door to let him in. She pulled open the door, and as the boundary between her and Chat disappeared, he could clearly see the red bags under her eyes. "What the hell are you doing here, Chat?" She exclaimed.

Chat Noir instantly lost all of his bravado. "Uh, can I come in?" He asked in a small voice, cracking a timid smile.

Alya just stared at him in unabashed bewilderment until Nino piped up from the back, "Let him in, Al!" She moved to the side and Chat walked into her apartment. It was homey; one bedroom, one bathroom, dimly lit by orange-ish lamps. It was nice.

"Can you answer my question, please?"

Chat Noir was about to comment on his friend's unusual temper, but then he remembered that her best friend just d--

_Don't think about it._

"I..." He trailed off, uncertain on what to say that wouldn't piss Alya off even more. "I've gotta tell you guys something."

Alya crossed her arms. "What? What do you want to say?" He could hear the tears in her voice. "Say it and then leave my goddamn sight."

Chat Noir gulped, absentmindedly casting Nino a helpless glance. His friend shrugged. Chat groaned. "I-I-- Wow, there's really no good way to put this, huh?"

Neither of them responded.

Chat tightened his grip around the boxes. "Whoo, tough crowd tonight, eh? Um...I just wanted to say..uh--"

"Jesus, spit it out already!" Alya suddenly burst, her voice hoarse as tears finally spilled down her cheeks. "Just say it so I can tell you I don't give a shit and then be on your way!"

Chat Noir stiffened, every bone in his body on fire in that moment, his anxiety spiking. "It's not--"

"--I don't care what it is and what it isn't!" Alya shrieked. "My best friend is _dead_ and you just come _barging_ in here just to stutter and then leave!"

Chat's eyes began to well too, all of the emotions he pushed down coming right back up. "She was my friend too, you know!"

She pointed at him accusingly. "What the hell do you know about her!? She wasn't your fucking friend! You barely knew her!"

Nino hitched a sob from behind his girlfriend. "Alya, please, stop shou--"

Alya didn't even turn. "--No! You don't know a goddamn thing about her, and you come in here claiming she was your _friend_ _!_ "

"She _was_ my friend!" Chat yelled, sobs of his own finally breaking through. "She was the love of my life!"

"You--" Alya stopped midsentence, her pointed finger wavering. "She was-- y-your what?"

In that moment, Chat Noir was reduced to a string of whimpers in the middle of Alya's bedroom.

Nino jumped back in surprise. "Dude-- wh-- I thought you were in love with Ladybug?"

Alya hesitantly approached him, her face horror stricken as she connected the dots. "He is," she whispered, staring at the hero. "M-Marinette...i-is...." She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, instead waiting for Chat Noir to disprove her theory.

He didn't say anything, instead bringing a hand up to quickly wipe away tears.

Alya brought her hands to her mouth. "No," she breathed. "No, that can't be-- you--" Her voice broke into a higher pitch as more sobs came. "You're a liar! You-- she's not--" 

Nino quickly got out of the bed and ran straight to her as she crumpled into his arms.

"He's a liar, Nino! He's lying to me!" She cried into his shirt.

Nino had tears of his own rolling down his cheeks as he cast a glare over his shoulder at Chat Noir. "You've only made things worse, man," he said. "You should leave."

Chat Noir withered under his gaze, but managed to keep his composure enough to speak, even if he refused to meet Nino's eye. "I-I have..I have something else to say."

"No," Nino said a little louder. "You come in here and upset my girlfriend like this, there's only so much hospitality I can give."

Chat Noir didn't look up. "Even to your best friend?"

Nino scoffed. "My best friend? I'd say you're pretty far from my best friend, alley cat," he hissed. 

That was when Chat looked up. His green eyes wide and brimming with tears, his lip trembling. "You-- you really think t-that?" he asked quietly.

Nino didn't budge. "Look man, I don't know why you're here, but you need to get this over with and then leave, okay?"

Chat swallowed. Gathering his courage, he walked up to his friends, extending both of his hands holding their respective Miraculouses. "You-- you can choose to take these or not," he said.

Alya lifted her head, loose strands of hair sticking to her cheeks because of her tears. "I-Is that my Miraculous?" she sniffed, leaning into Nino's body as she gently reached out to stroke one of the boxes.

Chat Noir shook his head. "These are the Mouse Miraculous and the Snake Miraculous. I have to keep the Turtle and the Fox. I'm sorry."

Alya stared at him with glossy eyes. "What? Why?" she quivered.

"I'm...I'm going somewhere, and I'm going to need both of them."

Nino furrowed his eyebrows. "I feel at this point we have a right to know."

Chat looked back and forth between them, and then sighed. "It's really complicated, guys. It would take a while to explain, and I have to go soon." He cast a glance out of the side window, noticing that it was now completely dark outside.

Nino held his glare. "Fine, don't tell us, but you're not about to force us to take these. I'm not-- I'm not going to replace anybody," he said with hesitance.

"No." Alya slowly unfurled herself from a shocked Nino's arms, reaching carefully for the box. "This one's the Mouse?" she asked, looking up at Chat.

He nodded.

She sniffed and opened it, jumping back a bit as she was met with a colorful light, the kwami Mullo soon taking it's place. "Hi, there," Alya said tearfully. "What's your name?"

The kwami smiled. "My name is Mullo!" She quickly faltered. "Why are you sad?"

Alya found herself laughing in the midst of her breakdown. "No reason, don't sweat it," she said. "I'm Alya. I guess I'm your new holder."

Mullo smiled widley. "Awesome!" She squealed. "We're gonna have such a fun time together, Alya!"

Alya looked back down at the necklace, her own smile fading gradually. "I promise to use this Miraculous for the greater good," she whispered to herself. "You can trust me, Marinette." She pulled the necklace out of the box and clasped it around her neck.

Nino huffed beside her. "I guess this means I have to take the other one?"

Alya laughed. "Yeah, it does," she said, grabbing the other box from Chat Noir and handing it to her boyfriend. "C'mon, I can't fight Hawkmoth alone."

Chat giggled as Nino rolled his eyes, popping open the box. The same thing happened as the Snake Miraculous' kwami emerged from the Snake bracelet.

"Hellooo," he said slowly. "I am... Sasssss," he trailed off with a hiss.

"Uhh, nice to meet you, bro," Nino said awkwardly. "I, uh, I guess I'm your new holder or whatever."

Sass tilted his head. "I do not know your name yet, Masssssster," he said.

Nino scratched the back of his neck. "It's Nino."

Sass bowed. "Why hellooo, Ninoooo."

"Oh boy, this'll be fun." Nino couldn't force a smile off of his face as he picked the bracelet out of the box and pushed it onto his wrist.

Chat Noir smiled as he watched Mullo snuggle into the crook of Alya's neck while Sass settled on top of Nino's head.

"Are these temporary like last time?" Alya asked.

Chat shook his head. "You guys will keep these until I get back. I trust that you can hold off some akumas on your own."

Nino stuffed his hands into his pockets, letting out a sigh. "I dunno, man, sounds like a tall order to me."

Chat shrugged. "Well, on the bright side, you've got the Bee holder helping you as well."

As if they shared a brain, Nino and Alya both cried in sync, " _Chloé!?_ "

"Oh, no, no!" Chat was quick to reassure them. "God, no, I would not trust that girl alone with a Miraculous, are you kidding me? I'm not that stupid," he laughed.

"Well then who is it?" Alya asked.

Chat turned to Nino. "He was the past holder of the Turtle Miraculous. Have you heard of Jade Turtle?"

Nino's eyes seemed to light up. "Holy shit, yes! He's so cool!"

Chat smiled brightly at his friend's excitement. "Yeah, man! It's him, he just has a different Miraculous!"

"Woww! That's so cool!" Nino exclaimed, turning to his girlfriend. "I can ask him for tips and stuff!"

Alya nodded, captivated. "It'll be so cool to be able to fight with like a..he's like a veteran! A Miraculous veteran!"

Chat scrunched his nose. "Hey, I'm right here."

The group broke into giggles, Chat's laughter dying down quicker than his friends'. 

"Ah, I hate to do this, but I- uh, I gotta go," he said hesitantly, slowly inching towards the door. "I'm sorry."

Alya stared at him with watery eyes before lurching towards him, engulfing him in a hug. "Thank you," she whispered against his chest. "Adrien."

Chat made a sort of choking noise in his throat. "How--"

"Shh, he doesn't know yet," Alya whispered again. "I found out a year ago, it's okay."

Nino laughed nervously, clearly out of earshot. "Uhh, whatcha guys talkin' about over there, huh?" He chuckled. "Care to share with the class?"

Alya turned away, a subdued smile on her face. "Nope," she answered plainly, walking back to stand next to her boyfriend. 

Chat Noir was sure he was at red as a tomato, and he felt very _very_ exposed in that particular moment. He made a mental note to never reveal his identity to anyone ever. "Uh, b-bye Alya," he said, casting a meek wave in her direction. "Bye, Nino."

Nino just looked at him like he had grown three heads. "Dude, what did she _say_ to you?"

Alya smirked. "Doesn't matter."

Chat Noir laughed nervously. "Haha, yeah, what she said. I gotta go now!" He turned around and pulled the sliding glass door open, stepping out into the cold night air. He smiled at his friends sadly, casting a salute with his two fingers, and he extended his baton. He vaulted away into the night, destined to become a missing persons' case tomorrow.


End file.
